Atkinson Lecture Series presents "Why Science Matters"

Willamette's Atkinson Lecture Series will feature a speaker who’s been described by The Washington Post as “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.” He’s a frequent contributor across media, and he’s hosted an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television special based on one of his three bestselling books. Physicist Brian Greene has earned his place among the world’s premier communicators, and he’s coming to Salem in November.

From CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” to The New York Times and Wired, Greene uses humor and dry wit, which has been tested several times on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” When Greene stopped by to promote the World Science Festival, Colbert flippantly asked a key question, “Science – what’s the big deal?”

On Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., Greene will share the answer through his talk, “Why Science Matters.”

In The New York Times Best Sellers “The Elegant Universe,” “The Fabric of the Cosmos” and “The Hidden Reality,” Greene describes the theoretical physics of the unimaginably small and theories about whether our universe is “but one bubble in a grand cosmic bubble bath of universes.”

In Willamette University’s Smith Auditorium, Greene will use his talent for storytelling to explain why our global conversation – and the world’s most pressing challenges – require a fluency in the language of science.

The Willamette Store will offer Greene’s work for sale in Smith Auditorium, which opens at 6:30 p.m., and a book signing will follow the talk.

Tickets are available online or in the Putnam University Center Information Center beginning Oct. 28. Students, faculty, staff can reserve one free ticket and buy additional tickets for $5. General admission tickets are $10. Alumni may purchase tickets through The Compass starting on October 21.